At this year’s JEC Europe exhibition, FORMAX, the manufacturer of bespoke lightweight multiaxial reinforcements, is introducing a range of biaxial fabrics made from intermediate modulus carbon fiber that offer significant cost benefits for motorsports and sporting goods manufacturers.

The -45°/+45° biaxials have been developed for the manufacture of structural composite parts in the motorsports industry. Compared with the woven fabrics currently used in these applications that are mainly made from 3k/6k tow intermediate modulus carbon fibers, the FORMAX multiaxial fabrics use 24k intermediate modulus fiber and therefore offer significant material cost savings.

The new fabrics are designed to offer increased mechanical performance specifically aimed at the motorsport and sporting goods sectors, where increased mechanical properties are key for engineers to challenge existing design concepts.

Typically available in weights of 200 g/m2 and 300 g/m2, the new biaxial fabrics can be used for prepreg, resin transfer molding (RTM), infusion and wet lay-up composite processes.

FORMAX’s fiber spreading technology also enables the company to work with a wide range of fiber types from 3k through to 50k, from all the main carbon fiber suppliers, and including both PAN and pitch carbon fibers.

About FORMAX

FORMAX emerged from within an existing textile business in 1999. The directors of this business recognized that the market for composite reinforcements was developing rapidly, and founded FORMAX to provide this growing market with something special - quality, bespoke, high performance multiaxial reinforcements.

Today, FORMAX has established itself as both one among the world leaders in the manufacture of ultra lightweight carbon reinforcements, as well as an innovative manufacturer and supplier of glass non-crimp fabrics to all sectors of the composites industry.